Followers

Friday, May 11, 2012

Delta Spirit interview

courtesy Rounder Records

A version of my interview originally appeared at nctimes.com/entertainment

Last October, after a performance at LA’s Gibson Amphitheatre, Delta
Spirit got a quick glimpse of what stardom entails. Upon heading to a nearby
In-N-Out, the San Diego-bred band ran into Jaden Smith and Justin Bieber.

“When people are screaming ‘Justin Bieber’ through the
drive-thru window, you know there’s something wild going on,” bassist Jonathan
Jameson said from a tour stop in Salt Lake City.

While Delta Spirit’s folk-leaning, alt-rock music has yet to
inspire feverish reactions by young girls, some expanded sonic terrain on the
new self-titled album should intrigue longtime fans.

The quintet - which also features lead vocalist/guitarist
Matt Vasquez, guitarist Will McLaren, keyboardist Kelly Winrich and drummer
Brandon Young – “tightened up the drum sound and brought them up front. There’s
definitely more layers.”

“This time, we explored the percussive elements of synths
and used more keyboards, pads and multiple (types of) percussion,” Jameson continued.
Those sounds were usually suggested by producer Chris Coady (…Trail of Dead, Beach
House), who brought a homemade synthesizer into the studio. “It was all
relatively new to us.”

Over the course of three albums – including 2010’s acclaimed
“History From Below” - the musicians have placed an emphasis on rhythm.

“Even the way I play bass and how vocal melodies are written
has a lot to do with percussion. That especially comes across live,” when
everyone bangs on drums and trash can lids at a certain point in the show.

Those who attend the band’s Belly Up concerts can expect to
hear plenty of new material. Jameson said he looks forward to spending more
time with family while in town.

“Only in a setting where you’re completely isolated from the
world can you get way with that. It was a beautiful thing to finish when the
sun is coming through the stained glass windows in an old church in the middle
of nowhere. It was really special and I think it has a big impact on the
feeling of the album.”

Released this past March, the strong “Delta Spirit” debuted
at No. 1 on Billboard’s Heatseekers chart. Along with steady airplay at college
radio, the dense guitar driven single “California”
is top 20 at Triple A stations – a first for the band after mostly
non-commercial NPR-type support in the past.

“Just the fact that it is getting played and people are
really starting to learn about us is really exciting.”

“We’re huge Brian Eno fans,” admitted Jameson. “The music
lifts a song to a different place. If you do the stripped-down stuff all the
time, it can get boring or repetitive.”

Then there’s the psychotic rocker “Tellin’ the Mind,” where
Vasquez sings like a man possessed.

“First it was just a straight ahead rock song. Then we
wanted to make it progressively weirder. It’s really out there and one of my
favorites. We’re still sorting out how to play it live because there’s a lot of
dynamics” involved.

Delta Spirit formed in ‘05. Jameson, McLaren and Young are
all local natives. “When I was a kid, all the bands I wanted to see were at the
Casbah,” recalled the bassist.

Early gigs were held at friends’ houses in San Diego; the group cultivated a large fan
base through tours with Cold War Kids, The Shins, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah and
My Morning Jacket. A few years after 2008’s “Ode to Sunshine,” the quintet
moved to Long Beach
and lived in the same Craftsman style house (four of the guys have since
relocated to Brooklyn).

McLaren (ex-Cults, Willowz) is a more recent recruit and joined
after “History” was recorded.

“We never really had a serious guitar player,” Jameson said.
“He brought the melodic perspective to a whole different place. That’s part of
the reason why the album is self-titled: we finally feel like we have a whole
band and the whole picture now.